


Memory

by DontBeJelly, jaguarspot, Jesi_Ki_Kage



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Stargate cameos for the WIN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-09-23 17:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17084768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontBeJelly/pseuds/DontBeJelly, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaguarspot/pseuds/jaguarspot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesi_Ki_Kage/pseuds/Jesi_Ki_Kage
Summary: Maggie’s mind is erased of everything connected to the DEO. As far as she’s concerned, the last year didn’t happen. Her team will do everything they can to bring back the happiness that was her life with Lucy and Alex. Those responsible for Maggie’s pain are going to discover just how horrible an idea it is to become an enemy of the Power Rangers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Jaguarspot came up with the original idea. My angst monster wanted to write it out. Jesi demands this be long and drawn out and has given us Ideas.  
> Title and lyrics from the Sugarcult song by the same name.

_This may never start.  
_ _We could fall apart.  
_ _And I'd be your memory.  
_ _Lost your sense of fear.  
_ _Feelings insincere.  
_ _Can I be your memory?_

 

Lucy raised an eyebrow at her father as he entered the command center with only a handful of minions. “General.”

“May I speak with your privately, Director?”

Oh, titles. This visit was serious. Too bad Lucy didn’t care. “Anything you have to say can be trusted with my people.”

He cast a doubtful gaze around the room. No one was blatantly paying attention, but he wasn’t an idiot. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” He handed her a file.

Lucy opened the manila folder on the table between them. The first thing she saw was Maggie’s picture. It made her heart stop. The next thing she saw made her blood run cold. “Threat level: Alpha.” She glared up at him. “How is this even possible?”

“Regular wiretaps and electronic surveillance are performed on all those not employed by the DEO yet know of its existence.” He kept his gaze steady, not wavering, trying to prove this wasn’t a trick. “Detective Sawyer has proven impossible to monitor in this way. There is no technician, hacker, or program available to the U.S. government that can enter any of her electronic devices.”

Lucy could feel her hands going numb. She asked the question to which she already knew the answer. “Why does this make her a threat?”

He almost looked as if he pitied her. “Our inability to perform routine surveillance means someone far more powerful is protecting her. And that kind of protection is only available to those working against the DEO’s interests.”

He wouldn’t say it outright; for all he loathed her relationship with women, he wouldn’t tell her she had been used. But it was implied, and Lucy knew he would not fail to bring it up in private. She looked down at the file and started to go over it.

The DEO’s techs spent a month working on cracking into Maggie’s cell phone before sending the problem higher up the food chain. For over a year, two dozen attempts were made to access Maggie’s personal and work phones and computers. No one had even gotten close. Any bugs placed outside Maggie’s apartment were rendered inert and useless by the time she returned home. The last attempt held Lucy’s gaze for a full minute.

A telepath had been unable to read Maggie’s mind.

Lucy took a slow, deep breath. She noticed that all work had ceased within the command center. Only a dozen of her desert agents had worked with Maggie, but they were all aware of the NCPD ally who had a hand in retaking the city base. As far as most agents were concerned, Maggie was as much one of them as Kara.

“What’s the course of action?” Lucy asked, her voice never wavering.

“Due to the nature of her protection, solitary incarceration for life is one of two effective ways to render the threat she presents null and void.”

Lucy knew James and, at times, Kara had an issue with how the Fort Rozz escapees would never see the light of day. Solitary confinement would destroy Maggie’s soul. Lucy didn’t want that even on the VERY off chance Maggie was a spy. “And the second option?”

“Complete and total mental and electronic wipe of everything related to the DEO.”

“You just said you could not access her computers or her mind.”

“Her precinct experienced a virus last month. That was a test of the virus that would be able to reset to factory settings her electronic life completely.” He took a deep breath. “And there’s a difference between reading someone’s mind and breaking it.”

Lucy felt her hands fist.

Vasquez was at her side. “Director Henshaw dealt with Malvern. He won’t hurt Maggie doing the same to her.”

Lucy was both betrayed and relieved. J’onn would be thorough, but he would be kind. Lucy had no guarantee another telepath outside of him and M’gann would leave Maggie intact. She nodded once and refocused on the General. “Director Henshaw will perform the wipe.”

“Lucy-”

Lucy didn’t want to hear it. “I trust NONE of your people or those associated with you to actually give a shit about anyone, least of all Detective Sawyer.” She let her rage off the leash. “Either he does it, or you’ll have two rogue agents to deal with.”

“More than two,” Vasquez said, calm but firm.

Lucy’s eyes flickered around the room. Every agent was glaring at the General. It was a miracle no one had a hand on their sidearm.

“So be it,” he bit out, clearly pissed. “I advise you to stay on base and contact no one outside of mission necessity, Director. Detective Sawyer is being watched, and any attempt to warn her will be considered an act of treason.”

“I advise you to not linger on my base.” She ordered a group of field agents with a nod of her head. They were eager to escort the General and his soldiers away.

The moment he was out of sight, Lucy punched the table.

Vasquez turned Lucy around and started to guide her out of the room. “I’ll have Kara bring Alex back from Metropolis as soon as the mission is over.”

Lucy couldn’t speak. Her throat closed up as she fought back the tears.

“Hey, Lucy, look at me.” Vasquez stopped and made sure Lucy was focused. “Director Henshaw will-”

“Do his best,” Lucy rasped. “If he doesn’t, Maggie will be killed.”

~

Winn glanced up at J’onn when he stopped by his workstation. The look on his face told Winn something deadly had either already happened or was about to happen. “What can I do to help, sir?”

“When the time comes, I ask that you question no orders.” J’onn looked down at him. “This is the only way I can protect you.”

Winn nodded, gulping. “I’m not gonna like what’s coming, am I?”

“No one with a heart will.” He stepped away to speak with a handful of other agents.

Winn turned to face Demos. “Shit’s about to hit the fan.”

“And we’re in the line of fire.” Demos tugged a flash grenade from his gear belt. “Remember what Danvers taught you.”

“Toss it behind me and run.” Winn put the small device in his pocket and hoped he wouldn’t need it.

It was half an hour later when the command hub went silent. Winn looked up and saw General Lane with a handful of soldiers. A fully armed team of agents was escorting them. Winn glanced over at Demos, but the agent shook his head negatively, confused as well.

J’onn met him across the conference table as a Green Martian. “I stand before you in my true form, General, so as to remind you with whom you are dealing.”

“And yet Detective Sawyer remains a threat to this operation and everyone involved.”

Winn felt his brain blue screen. Maggie? A threat?? Okay, yeah, Maggie could kick his ass and toss him in lockup for fun. But she wasn’t some double agent.

“Detective Sawyer is no threat to the DEO, its agenda, or its agents.” J’onn looked down at the General, emanating anger in waves. “The inability to monitor her does not mean she works against us.”

The General glared. “Then enlighten us.”

“Not only would that breach her confidence, but it would result in you removing her from her home as you tried with myself and Agent Danvers.” J’onn wasn’t smiling, but he looked pleased nonetheless. “I will follow the orders contained within that file. But as she won’t be the DEO’s concern anymore, neither will the fall out of such an action.”

Winn was so thoroughly confused. He knew something terrible was about to happen to Maggie. He knew he would have a hand in it, given J’onn’s orders half an hour ago. He also knew whatever was about to go down was going to backfire spectacularly.

General Lane carefully slid a folder towards J’onn, barely containing his rage. “You are ordered to remove all evidence of the DEO from Detective Sawyer’s life. She is to have no further contact with any future or former element of the DEO from this day forth. Should she regain any memory of the DEO, you will be found in violation of these orders, and her life is forfeit.”

Winn suddenly understood what was going on. Maggie couldn’t be monitored due to some form of protection, meaning no one knew who Maggie was talking to when she wasn’t within the DEO. This was considered a Bad Thing. As a result, J’onn was being ordered to mind wipe Maggie. The alternative was her death.

Winn couldn’t breathe.

Alex was away on a mission. General Lane had come to J’onn, and so circumvented Lucy. They didn’t know. They were about to lose Maggie, and they didn’t know. Winn couldn’t warn them. If he so much as twitched, General Lane would find a reason to have his mind wiped as well.

General Lane placed a small metal USB drive on the file. “This is the only viable electronic attack. You will use it to ensure nothing remains on any of her devices, professionally or personally.”

J’onn took the file and the USB drive. He handed the drive to Winn. “Do not disappoint me, Agent Schott.”

Winn nodded once. Follow orders. Stay alive. Pray that J’onn knew what he was doing. Hope that Alex wouldn’t go through with her threats and actually kill him this time.

Demos moved his chair closer. “Let’s get this done, Schott.” Every other agent in the room shared the look of disgust on his face.

Winn took a deep breath and plugged the USB drive into his terminal. He closed his eyes when he heard J’onn call Maggie, asking her to the DEO. Demos nudged him. Right. Orders. Orders, and hope.

~

Even injured, Alex had never allowed Kara to carry her through the DEO. To the DEO, yes. Never all the way to the infirmary. This time, however, she didn’t want to waste a single moment.

“Desert. ASAP.”

That was all Vasquez had sent. Given the lack of emergencies within the city, Alex knew only one reason Vasquez would demand Alex’s presence immediately.

Lucy.

Alex and Kara stood in the doorway of the infirmary. Lucy was laying on a bed. Sam Carter, Alex’s training agent, sat on one side, going over a tablet. Vasquez sat on the other, monitoring radio chatter with a laptop. They both looked as if someone had died.

Alex closed the distance before either agent knew she was there. “Lucy.”

“She’s not physically hurt, but we had to sedate her,” Vasquez said, standing up.

“Escaped telepath?” Kara asked, gearing up for a fight.

Vasquez winced. “No. Look. You need to sit down.”

Kara sat in Vasquez’s vacated chair. Alex sat on the bed next to Lucy’s hips. When Alex laced her fingers with Lucy’s, an exhausted groan rattled out of her girlfriend.

“Lucy?” Alex squeezed the fingers in her grip.

Lucy froze, then sat up far too quickly. “Alex? Alex…” Her eyes immediately started to water. “Alex, I’m sorry.”

Alex immediately wrapped her in a hug. “You’re scaring me, Luce. What happened?”

Except Lucy was trying not to sob, now. She clung to Alex. Kara moved closer, her arm wrapping around Lucy’s back.

“General Lane paid us a visit,” Sam said, moving around the bed. She kept her gaze and voice steady. “He had evidence of Maggie being an Alpha Level threat.”

Alex felt her heart stop. Alpha Level threats were rarely detained. If they were, they were never allowed to be conscious. General Lane would not allow Maggie even the slightest chance of recovery or rescue. “No.”

“Maggie is alive,” Sam said. “In exchange for her life, she has to forget everything related to the DEO.”

Lucy’s fingers dug into Alex.

Everything. Meaning them. Their relationship. Their life together.

“Explain,” Kara demanded, channeling every bit of arrogant Kryptonian who looked down upon humans.

“Maggie can’t be hacked,” Vasquez said. “She can’t be electronically monitored. It’s standard procedure for all those not directly employed by the DEO who know of its existence. They’ve been trying for a year, and no telepath can get into her mind, either.”

“And that’s worth killing someone over?” Kara was on her feet. Alex knew she couldn’t stop her.

Sam held her hands out, trying to make her understand. “Kara, the DEO can access every human-made computer and phone on Earth. There is nothing man-made that can stop the programs created here. And as far as every report can tell, Maggie has plain, human-made devices. General Lane managed to convince someone higher up the chain of command that this means Maggie has been spying on the DEO. That’s treason. That’s a death penalty.”

Alex couldn’t feel the way Lucy’s blunt nails were biting into her skin. She could barely breathe.

“No.” Kara was shaking her head. “No, not Maggie. She’s not...she’s not like that. She’s Maggie! She’s a great, fair cop and sure, she doesn’t like what I do as Supergirl sometimes, but she’s not… She’s not spying on us!”

“We know that,” Vasquez said. “Fuck, that bastard probably knows that. But they won’t look for evidence to prove otherwise, and we weren’t given a chance to show him how wrong he is.”

Kara spat something in Kryptonese that made Alex twitch. “I’m going to get Maggie. Get Alex and Lucy out of here. I’ll call Kal-El. We can hide them in the Fortress for now-”

“It’s too late.” Sam’s voice was quiet, but there was no doubting what she said. “Director Henshaw had two choices: erase the DEO from Maggie’s life, or have her life erased.”

“No.” Kara’s voice was small, and she no longer sounded like Supergirl. “No, he wouldn’t have-”

“If he didn’t do it,” Vasquez said, “someone else would’ve. He didn’t hurt her; you know he wouldn’t have.”

Alex could feel the tears on her face but she couldn’t...she couldn’t feel the reason behind them. She couldn’t feel anything.

Kara sat down. “No. Not Maggie. Alex?”

Alex suddenly couldn’t see. Her throat hurt. Maggie was gone. Maggie was gone, and Alex would never… The sob that ripped out of her made her head hurt.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Lucy muttered, drained once more. “I’m sorry.”

Alex didn’t know who was holding her. It didn’t matter. They weren’t Maggie. Maggie was never going to hold her or Lucy again. Maggie was never going to be held by them.

Alex had been right. Someone had died.

Maggie was gone.

~

J’onn had Maggie’s precinct evacuated for an hour so his agents could sweep through and remove all evidence of Alex and Lucy. He dealt with her desk himself, knowing his agents well enough that they might not be as thorough as they must. For all that theirs was a job of violence, Supergirl’s presence the last two years had added something to a lot of them: Hope. J’onn knew someone would leave something, a small, tiny thing, behind in hopes that it would trigger Maggie’s memories and bring her back.

If not to help Maggie, Alex, and Lucy, then out of sheer selfishness due to having a better working relationship with the NCPD.

J’onn then took his time with Maggie’s coworkers, fading any mention of the DEO and erasing all memory of Alex and Lucy visiting Maggie. He did it all while a team of agents scanned them for possible “exposure.” His mind could handle the workload. His heart was a different matter.

Winn did his job in silence. J’onn wondered if CatCo was going to get an IT tech back because of this. Winn was about saving the world, not destroying a friend’s life.

Then it was time to return Maggie to her apartment. He brought her there himself, going unnoticed and unseen by her neighbors. He wasn’t surprised Alex and Lucy had lingered after moving Maggie out of their apartments.

Alex started crying at the sight of Maggie. Lucy managed to arrange some pillows at one end of the couch and set out a tumbler with a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. J’onn set Maggie down. He glanced into Alex and Lucy’s minds and made sure they had returned everything.

“We were gonna move in together,” Alex murmured from where she was standing. He knew she wanted to be closer, but she wasn’t sure if she could leave. “Her lease was going to be up in a couple of months. She talked about adding real plants to my place.”

Lucy tugged Alex over to them and wrapped an arm around her.

J’onn wanted to say a dozen things. He wanted to tell them what he knew, wanted to assure them that Maggie's loss was temporary. But he needed them to have no part in Maggie’s return. He knew if they stepped out of line, General Lane would do far worse to them. Lucy would probably go years without seeing American soil if he had his way.

So J’onn said nothing. He let Alex and Lucy have a moment with Maggie. Then he saw them out. Sam Carter was waiting for them in a DEO SUV. He knew Vasquez was keeping Kara company until James and Winn could join her.

“I’ll see them back safely, sir.”

He thanked her and watched them drive off. Glancing back up at the apartment, J’onn could only hope Maggie didn’t hurt herself finding her way back to them.


	2. Chapter 2

__ So get back, back, back to where we lasted.  
Just like I imagine.  
I could never feel this way.  
So get back, back, back to the disaster.  
My heart's beating faster.  
Holding on to feel the same.

 

Maggie groaned as she woke up to the sound of fists pounding on a door. She pushed the heels of her palms into her eyes. Ow.

“Maggie, I’m gonna use my key.”

With her hands still on her eyes, she frowned. What was Kira doing here? Was something wrong? Maggie tugged a pillow over her face and patted down her pockets. No phone. Ugh, where did she put it-

“Mags? You okay?” Ethan, too? Yeah, something important had to be going on.

“Sorry,” Maggie croaked. “Phone’s somewhere…”

“It’s here on the table, Mags,” Trent said. “Since when do you turn your phone off?”

“Musta died on me.” Taking a deep breath, Maggie pushed herself up slowly. “Fuck, movement bad.”

Kira was next to her a moment later, one hand on her back and one on Maggie’s forehead. “Hey, you’re probably dehydrated. Ethan, can you-”

“Water, on it.”

“What’s going on?” Maggie asked as she twisted around to set her feet on the floor. “Where’s the trouble?”

“We were gonna ask you that,” Tommy said as he returned from his inspection of her apartment. “All of us felt the pull to come here.”

Maggie took the glass of water handed to her and sipped slowly. She didn’t know why, exactly, she had been drinking. Sure, there had been a break-up, but that was last week, and she had no hard cases at the moment. “I got nothing.”

“Yeah, that might be the problem,” Trent said from where he was sitting with her plugged-in phone. “Did you get a new phone? Cause this doesn’t look like a new phone.”

“No. Why?”

He showed her the screen. “There’s nothing on here. It’s like you’ve never used it.”

Maggie muttered a curse and motioned for him to hand it over. “Damn it, I don’t think I forwarded case related texts this whole week.”

Tommy sat on the edge of the coffee table. “Okay, we can deal with the phone in a minute. Maggie, has anything happened in the last twenty-four hours that would have the Morphin’ Grid bring us to you?”

Maggie dropped her head and tried to retrace her steps. If she were honest, she didn’t even remember coming home, much less why she was also drinking enough to knock her on her ass like this. She was a big girl; she could handle her alcohol, thank you. “Not unless Brenda is some kind of assassin sent to fuck up former Rangers.”

“Brenda?” Kira asked. “Who the fuck is Brenda?”

Maggie glanced over at her. “Okay, I know we’re besties, but you don’t have to go that hard with my exes.”

Kira locked eyes with Maggie. “I honestly have no idea who Brenda is.”

Maggie felt her gut twist. She pressed her palm against a temple, trying to fight off the pain. “Hey, Ethan, can you grab me some Tylenol?”

“Anything for you, fearless leader.”

Maggie snorted, then regretted it. “Ow. When did I become such a lightweight?”

Tommy traded a look with Kira. “Okay,” he said, “we’re starting from the beginning. What’s today?”

Maggie rattled off the date before taking the pills Ethan handed her. “You’re the greatest, Ethan.”

“I know I am. Can I look at your laptop?” He hurried off once he had her permission.

“So,” Tommy said. “You’re a day late. Next question: Who are we?”

Maggie pointed at Trent. “The most asshole White Ranger ever, Trent.” She nudged Kira with her shoulder. “Kira, the best Yellow Ranger ever.” Tossing her thumb back at Ethan, “Blue Ranger and brains of the operation, Ethan.” She waved a hand at Tommy. “Doctor O, and you’re halfway to being your own team.” Maggie was pleased by the chuckles that got considering the many worried faces around her.

“Where’s our base located?” Tommy asked.

Maggie sat up straighter. She knew the routine, and this was where things could get tricky. “Who’s Shelly named after?” If Tommy got the answer wrong, Maggie was going to have to fight him. She didn’t know if she could even stand up, much less fight a more experienced Ranger.

“Your favorite author in high school, Mary Shelley.”

Maggie relaxed her shoulders and told Tommy the location of their base. There was always a chance someone was impersonating a Ranger to gain access to their secrets. After a few more Power Ranger related questions that Maggie answered without hesitation, Kira took over.

“Who do you like more, Alex or Lucy?”

Maggie’s brain decided to commit mutiny. She clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears. She floundered for a moment, then decided she had nothing to lose. Focusing on the T-Rex, focusing on her team and the bond they shared, Maggie tugged at the dormant connection to the Morphin’ Grid. It wasn’t a lot, and she couldn’t morph, but it was enough to ease the pain.

When she opened her eyes, Kira and Tommy were sitting on either side of her and keeping her upright. Maggie took a deep breath and told them she was okay.

“You really aren’t,” Kira said. “Ethan-“

“Already on it,” he said, starting the search for Alex and Lucy.

“Okay, who are those two that my brain’s reaction is to explode?” Maggie asked.

Trent passed over his phone. “They’re your girlfriends.”

Maggie almost dropped his phone. “Plural?”

She looked down and felt her chest ache. Seeing the photo didn’t make her head hurt, but she could feel the T-Rex growling in the back of her mind. Maggie was laughing in the picture, leaning against a taller woman who was making a face at the camera. There was another woman next to Maggie, looking at Maggie and the other woman with such affection that Maggie would’ve called it ‘love’ if she were brave enough.

“Which one is which?” Maggie asked quietly.

Kira pointed to the woman making a face. “You’ve been dating Alex,” she watched Maggie wince, “for almost a year. Lucy joined the two of you three months in.”

“Why can’t I remember them?” Maggie asked, the worry of her teammates seeping into her. If she was sending pictures to her friends, it was a serious relationship. Hell, if she was dating someone for more than six months, it was serious.

“We’re going to find out,” Tommy said.

Ethan started muttering from the table, the tapping of keys on his laptop getting louder. “You guys remember how Mags teased me about having found a better hacker than me? She has the annoying ability of being right.”

“That’s impossible,” Maggie said. She saw Ethan look up. “No one’s better than you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but it doesn’t change the fact I can’t get into the DEO or trace what wiped your computer.” He looked over at Tommy. “I think I need back-up.”

Tommy nodded once. “Make the call. If there’s something out there messing with our heads, we might need more than one team to deal with it.”

Ethan started a conference call with Hailey and Cam, the Ranger techs he had worked with most. If necessary, they could branch out to other teams. He sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.

~

“Uh, Houston, we have a problem.”

Winn glanced over at Vasquez, unsure if he should be amused or worried. “This is Houston. Go ahead, Problem.”

“Our equipment is dead.”

Winn and Vasquez started to type away as Winn asked, “What do you mean by ‘dead’?”

Agent Ford sighed. “One moment it was working just fine, then someone said they were going to use a key on Sawyer’s door. After that, everything just crashed.”

“Her protection,” Vasquez said, switching gears. “There was no surveillance in the hall, right?”

“Correct,” Ford said. “And as far as we can tell, they don’t know we’re here.”

“Confirm Detective Sawyer is still alive,” Vasquez ordered. “This might be a cleanup crew.”

“I have proof of life,” Agent Cadman said. She sounded a little out of breath. “We need a fire escape training course.”

Vasquez snorted and shot a message off to the Director, knowing he would want to be kept up to date. “I’m checking the traffic cam outside the building.”

“Let’s hope it was pointed in the right direction,” Winn muttered. He tried to restart the surveillance team’s gear remotely. When that didn’t work, he tried to find the cell phones of those in Maggie’s apartment. Everyone had a cell phone. “Are you kidding me?!”

“What is it?” Vasquez asked, eyes never leaving the traffic cam’s playback.

“It’s the same protection program, and this time it tried to fight back.”

“Please tell me it’s not attacking the DEO systems.”

Winn huffed. “It’s not, but I don’t think I should try poking at their cell phones again.”

“Here, get profiles on these four people instead.” Vasquez sent over four pictures, each of a different member of a group that had entered Maggie’s building. “Or, three of them, because I can tell you that the woman is Kira Ford.”

Winn’s jaw dropped. “There is no way on this Earth or the next eight that Maggie knows Kara’s favorite female pop artist and hasn’t said anything.”

“Do you honestly think Maggie in any universe would want to deal with that much hyper Kara?”

“You might have a point.” Winn whistled low. “Okay, so we have an international pop artist, Indiana Jones, a millionaire, and a freelance software developer for three of the top five tech companies after L Corp and Lord Tech.”

“Indiana Jones, Agent Schott?” J’onn asked as he approached.

“Nationally ranked martial artist, NASCAR driver, and an archeologist.” Winn motioned to his screen. “And all of them have links to other big names.”

J’onn raised an eyebrow. “Does Detective Sawyer have similar connections?”

“Nothing so obvious,” Winn said. “Outside of being in the same high school as these four, she was a security guard for Mercer Tech until she got into a police academy. No social media connections besides following Kira Ford on Instagram.” He shrugged. “And, you know, we can’t access anything that isn’t already public so…”

J’onn frowned but didn’t comment. “We need to know how these people can single out and shut down surveillance equipment.” He looked at the frozen traffic camera images. “They don’t seem to do this to every camera pointed at them, which means they know when they’re being targeted.”

“Which companies does the tech work for?” Vasquez asked, still trying to help restart the team’s equipment remotely.

“Mercer Industries, Cranston Tech, and Collins Bio Lab.”

“So only the three biggest companies in Power Ranger protected cities,” Vasquez muttered.

Winn froze for a moment. “Uh, what are you implying?”

“Nothing, Schott.”

Winn looked over at Vasquez but decided now really wasn’t the time to ask HOW Vasquez knew that little fact. “Okay, how would they know we were watching Maggie? And why did our tech work until their arrival if Maggie has the same kind of protection?”

“What if the protection program has to be reinstalled?” Vasquez asked. “We reset everything of hers. Getting rid of the program might have set off a kind of alarm.”

“Celebrities and millionaires don’t just drop everything to check-in on someone from high school,” Winn said, his thoughts running a mile a minute. “We’ve been able to wipe Alex and Lucy from cell phones and computers we know she’s interacted with, most of them being within the NCPD. But if she has been talking to these people from a protected device, and outside of social media, we’d have no idea.”

Vasquez looked up at J’onn. “They may have pictures and texts of the three of them. What happens to someone when shown proof of something they have no memory of?”

J’onn watched Winn’s connection program spider out to a dozen more people associated with Maggie’s friends through otherwise innocuous connections. “We’re going to find out.”

~

Dana looked over at Taylor as Chad pulled the SUV up to the unmarked highrise. “Ready?”

Taylor nodded. “Let’s go scare some spooks.”

Dana rolled her eyes as she opened the door. “You do realize you’re a spook, too, right?”

“But I’m not a run of the mill one.” Taylor joined Dana on the sidewalk, and they headed for the door. “Besides, spooks don’t have a uniform.”

“This is true.” Dana approached the single, large receptionist desk in the center of the otherwise empty lobby. “I’m General Dana Mitchell, and this is Colonel Taylor Earhardt. We have a meeting with Director Henshaw.”

Taylor handed over their credentials. The agent behind the desk didn’t waste any time attempting to deny Henshaw’s existence within the building. The agent’s job was to warn those upstairs. Once Taylor and Dana had their guest badges in hand, an agent appeared out of an office to escort them up.

Taylor was giddy as they waited for the elevator to climb. As much as she was glad her active Ranger days were over, the fallout was well worth the near weekly death-defying, world-saving stunts. Going to other super secret organizations and laying a smackdown was one of her favorite activities.

Taylor and Dana traded glances as the elevator stopped. Taylor composed herself, remembering these were the people that erased a happy life from a Ranger. Taylor didn’t know Maggie personally, but she had the back of any Ranger that needed it knowing they would all do the same for her.

Dana knew after one quick look around the room that the command center was FAR more crowded than necessary. She didn’t know if she should be pleased or annoyed by so many eavesdroppers. Word would get around, but she disliked being a show. Their escort brought them to a large round conference table where the Director stood with two agents beside him. The agent to his right wore the name badge of “Vasquez” while the one on his left seemed to be a curious civilian.

“General Mitchell, Colonel Earhardt,” Henshaw greeted. “What brings you to the DEO?”

“We’re here on behalf of Detective Margarita Sawyer,” Dana said, opening the slim file folder in her hands and sliding a single piece of paper over to him. “You will remove the surveillance team from the apartment next to her own. You will stop investigating those who associate with her. Detective Sawyer is no longer your concern.”

Henshaw barely glanced at the orders before nodding at the two agents beside him. Vasquez looked ready to throw down, except there was also worry in those steady eyes.

“Echo team, pack it up and bring it in.” After a beat, Vasquez said, “By order of the president.”

The civilian technician was moping as he closed out programs and stopped algorithms from running.

Taylor took another piece of paper out of the file folder and slid it over to them. “All data you have on Detective Sawyer that is not a matter of public domain is to be destroyed.” She did her best to keep the glee out of her voice. “Immediately.”

Now that was something the tech didn’t want to abide. He looked at the Director in desperation. “How are we supposed to help-”

“Erase it, Agent Schott,” Henshaw said, firm but with compassion. “We can’t choose which orders to obey and which to question.”

Schott looked ready to call bullshit, but a look from both Henshaw and Vasquez silenced him. He muttered under his breath about signing up to save the world, not destroy lives.

Taylor fished out the last sheet from the folder. It was the real reason they were here. “All physical reports and information having to do with Margarita Sawyer are to be handed over to us within the next four hours. They are now the property of Project Terra Venture.” She looked at Schott. “No copies are to be kept by the DEO.”

Henshaw nodded. “Agent Demos will prepare and release those files to you.” An agent at a near-by computer got up and took the sheet with him.

Taylor was eager to get the file Max, Ethan, and the other nerds had seen when they hacked into the security cameras. Knowing the exact details of that file would give them far more answers than just listening to how General Lane and the Directors interpreted the orders. Coming in like this with only half the information mere hours after the incident could backfire. Once they had that file, they could start building a case against General Lane and whoever authorized this attack on Maggie.

“As I understand things,” Dana said, “Detective Sawyer is no longer a concern for the DEO. This is an official cease and desist for all activities having to do with Detective Sawyer. Any intentional actions will result in an investigation of the highest and strictest magnitude.”

“We didn’t want this to happen,” Schott insisted. “We just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“She is a long way from being any kind of okay,” Taylor said, snapping just enough to get her point across without being blatantly out of line.

Dana raised her hands off the table just an inch to get them all to calm down. “It seems both our organizations have failed Detective Sawyer. It is, however, Terra Venture’s responsibility to ensure her health and safety.”

Vasquez was very, very intrigued by that, and Schott was fighting to keep his fingers off his tablet.

“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Henshaw asked.

Dana nodded. “Our Project would like to discuss options to help ease the strain of your desert prison. If we could speak privately?” She knew they were caught off guard; making demands and then offering help was not something they seemed accustomed.

Henshaw nodded and motioned to the stairs. “Of course. Please, follow me.”

Dana could hear Schott whispering questions to Vasquez about safety. Vasquez told him to trust the Director. “He’ll tell us what we need to know.”

Dana wasn’t so sure. Henshaw only knew what anyone else outside of the Project knew, which was almost nothing. After all, only Power Rangers knew the truth of Project Terra Venture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Ninja Steel crossover episode established Ranger shows taking place in alternate realities. Lost Galaxy is now in an alt timeline so that I can use the name Terra Venture without anyone knowing it means the space colony.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bathtimefunduck asked me for more magic fic. being the asshole i am, i'm posting amnesia fic.

_ This may never start.  
_ _ I'll tear us apart.  
_ _ Cannot be your enemy.  
_ _ Losing half a year.  
_ _ Waiting for you here  
_ __ I'd be your anything.

 

Lois felt Lucy flinch when there was a knock on the door. It was a distinct knock, one that would haunt them for their entire lives. Lois extracted herself from her sister and motioned Kara to stay with them. “I’ll handle him.”

Kara settled back against Alex without questioning Lois. As angry as Kara was at General Lane, she knew violence wasn’t the answer. Lois was the level-headed Lane who wouldn’t let her father disturb Lucy.

Lois opened the door to Alex’s apartment exactly four inches, just enough for her face to show. “You aren’t welcome here.”

“I was unaware you and Lucy were on speaking terms.”

“There are many things you aren’t aware of.” Lois knew better than to close the door or ignore him. She had to out-maneuver and defeat him to get him to stay away.

“I want to talk to her.”

Lois shrugged. “We all want things we can’t have.”

He frowned at her. “I was following orders, Lois.”

“Yes, how convenient that it was you who delivered those orders.” Lois saw a flicker of weakness in his eyes. “I wonder what strings you had to pull, what favors you had to call in, to ensure it was you who destroyed your own daughter’s life.”

“I didn’t destroy anything!” He huffed. “This isn’t a conversation for a hallway, Lois.”

“You are uninvited, unannounced, and unwelcomed by the resident. Therefore, this conversation, what little left of it there is, will be had in a doorway.”

“I will speak to Lucy at some point,” he said. “She can’t avoid me forever.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot if you think your actions yesterday won’t have consequences.”

His suspicion won over his anger. “I received my orders from some of the highest ranking members of the U.S. Military. The only consequences will be in the form of civilian retaliation.”

“Exactly.” Lois locked eyes with her idiot father. “You have no idea who Maggie associated with. You had someone’s mind altered, without their permission, not knowing who was securing her communications. You now have no way of finding out. And whoever those people are? They are going to be very pissed off.”

He tried to shove his way into the apartment, but Kara was there in an instant, sitting on the other side of the door like the world’s best doorstop. “What do you know, Lois?”

“Absolutely nothing. But there’s a reason I can write the articles I do and not end up executed in some back alley in Metropolis. I do my fucking research. I only report when I have the full story, and that includes having an idea of who would want me dead.”

“I did what I had to do to protect the interests of the U.S. government and my daughter. ”

“No.”

Lois bit back her sigh and let her sister step in front of her. Kara wouldn’t allow the door to open any further.

Lucy glared up at the General, red-eyed and exhausted and heart-broken. “I’m not your daughter. I’ve never been your daughter. I’ve always been a pawn or a doll you show off. I’m done. As of last night, I’m no longer a Major in the Army. Again. Because of you. Again. By the end of next week, I won’t be a Lane.”

Lois was gleeful at the sight of panic in his eyes and the way he paled. He probably thought Lucy was going to marry Alex to spite him.

“I’m going to have my name changed to mom’s maiden name,” Lucy continued. “Hers is a legacy of hard work; yours is a legacy of hate.”

“I didn’t change my name for professional reasons,” Lois said. “But I think I’d rather take my husband’s name than have any connections to you outside of our genetics.” She put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “Martha is a much better parent than you could ever hope to be.”

Lucy put her hand on the doorknob. “Even you should’ve seen this coming after what you’ve done.”

With Kara’s help, they closed the door. Lucy took a deep breath and sagged against Lois.

Kara stood up and hugged them both. “You know, for a moment there, I thought you were going to say you were going to marry Alex.”

Alex made a noise of horror and protest from the bed. Lucy chuckled and shook her head, wiping fresh tears off her face. “One crazy reporter sister is enough for now.” Lucy looked over at Alex. “Besides, it’s not just Alex I’d want to marry.”

Kara hugged them harder before leading the way back to the bed. “We’ll figure something out. We always do. It just might take longer than we’re used to.”

Lois texted Clark, asking him to keep an eye on the General. Then she settled into the bed and started up Planet Earth again. If Lucy’s tears soaked through her shirt sleeve, well, at least Lois now knew Lucy trusted her this much.

~

Maggie took the four pizza boxes from Chad with a small smile and thanks. He gave her a jaunty salute and headed back down the hall. Maggie brought the boxes to the kitchen table, and her teammates were quick to reveal the contents within.

Files, folders, and paperwork. Tommy grabbed the folder they had seen on the security cameras and opened it.

Maggie stared at the picture she didn’t remember taking. It was obviously for an I.D. badge, given the plain background and lack of a smile. She rubbed at her temples and Kira had her sit down.

There was another knock at the door.

They were expecting no one else.

Trent straightened his back and went to answer the knock, ready for a fight. “Who are you?” he asked of the teenager standing there.

“Tell Maggie she better plan on paying her tab.”

Maggie looked over her shoulder. “Let her in, Trent. She’s a Mars Ranger.”

Trent opened the door wider and closed it behind the teenager. “Mars has Power Rangers?”

“At one point, it did,” M’gann said as she took her usual form. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner, Maggie. We had to wait until General Lane was no longer watching us.”

“Who’s ‘us’?” Maggie asked, exhausted even after a day of just sitting and waiting. “Who’s General Lane? I mean, besides an asshole?”

“ ‘Us’ includes me and J’onn, the director of the DEO.” M’gann sat down at the table. “He knew I could deliver information to you, so he has told me everything. Lane is the xenophobic father of one of your girlfriends.”

Maggie sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t think they’re my girlfriends anymore.”

“Believe me, Maggie, they would have rather run off with you.”

“So why didn’t they?” Ethan asked. “Why didn’t they try to stop this?”

M’gann shook her head. “General Lane had eyes on Maggie. If anyone tried to warn her, it would’ve been considered treason.” M’gann looked at Maggie. “It was this or death.”

Maggie sighed. “And this way at least leaves me with a chance. I guess it’s stupid to ask if you can undo this?”

“I’m sorry, but no. J’onn had to be thorough. If it were as easy as waiting for Lane to leave and then returning your memories, neither you nor J’onn would’ve been left alive.”

“Understandable. Does it usually suck this much, though?” Maggie was debating digging out her pain medication from her last trip to the E.R. Which, she realized, might have been longer ago than she thought.

“It shouldn’t,” M’gann said, frowning. “How long have you had a headache?”

“Since I woke up,” Maggie groused. “If I take any more pills for it, I’m gonna destroy my stomach.”

Kira gasped. “It’s the Grid.” She started piling all the folders and paperwork back into the pizza boxes. “Put everything away, guys. Maggie, think about anything else, like your aunt or what we’re doing for Halloween costumes this year.”

“What’s wrong?” Trent asked as he moved the repacked boxes to the coffee table.

“Maggie doesn’t remember,” Kira said, “but the Morphin’ Grid does. Every time someone tried to control me or erased my memories, I had the worst headaches. The Grid is trying to return what doesn’t exist anymore.”

“So you have to figure all of this out without me?” Maggie asked, annoyed.

Kira nodded sadly. “The more we talk about it around you, the more the Grid is going to try and reach for something that isn’t there, and the more it’s going to hurt you.”

“Why didn’t the Grid just protect her to begin with?” Ethan asked.

“Because we’re not active Rangers,” Tommy said. “The Morphin’ Grid grants us some protection; no one will ever be able to put together all the clues that point to us being Rangers, and we’ll always have a sixth sense for danger. But the Grid can’t do everything for the active team and us as well.”

Maggie pushed back from the table. “In that case, I’m going to bed.”

Trent reached out for her. “Mags-”

“Deal with this or not.” Maggie shook her head. “It’s whatever. I can’t care, apparently.”

Kira tugged Trent back over to the group. “You guys go see what you can figure out. I’ll stay with her.”

Tommy nodded as M’gann got up with Ethan. “Call us if you need anything.”

“I will. Be careful.”

“Stay safe.”

Kira saw them out and locked the door. After securing and darkening the apartment, she found Maggie curled up on the top of her bed. Kira found pajamas for both of them and tugged Maggie up to change clothes. Once under the covers, Kira wrapped her arms around her best friend.

“Did I…” Maggie shivered. “Were they…”

Kira nodded. “Yeah. You love them. They’re the ones.”

Maggie sniffed. “What if I don’t remember anything? What if I remember too late?”

“I don’t think it will ever be too late for those two.” Kira squeezed Maggie tight for a moment. “And I think, even if you can’t remember, we’ll just find a way for the three of you to build a new relationship.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Promise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....whoops. no one saw that, right?

_So get back, back, back to where we lasted  
_ _Just like I imagine.  
_ _I could never feel this way.  
_ _So get back, back, back to the disaster.  
_ _My heart's beating faster._  
Holding on to feel the same.

Maggie watched the city pass by as Kira drove her around. She knew Kira was hoping something would trigger her memory in a way the paperwork and pictures didn’t. So far, Maggie recalled nothing but old cases and older hook-ups. Whoever J’onn was, he was damn good at not fucking up her entire ability to remember her past.

“Hungry?” Kira asked around noon.

Maggie shrugged. “Not really. Maybe just some ice cream?”

“Double banana split?”

“Yes. Gimme.” Maggie perked up for the first time since they started driving. “Did I ever tell them about that?”

“Yeah.” Kira gave her a soft smile. “Along with how much you like vegan ice cream, weirdo.”

Maggie wanted to ask more questions, but she could already feel something throbbing against her temple. Actively thinking about Alex and Lucy was the one thing she couldn’t do. “How’s the next album coming along?”

Although Kira knew the distraction for what it was, she launched into how she was thinking of getting the musically inclined Rangers together for a handful of songs. It was going to require a lot of planning and negotiation to protect their identities. Kira was debating about being a guitarist only and not a vocalist for the project.

“What are you going to do with your week of downtime?” Kira asked once they had their ice cream.

Maggie savored her double banana split while she thought about it. The first message on her completely reset cell phone had been from her captain. Apparently, she had a week of paid leave due to her “illness.” As far as Ethan’s camera hacking could tell, Captain O’Neill wasn’t in on the whole mind wiping thing. If anything, he had probably been forced to forget given the nasty computer virus that swept through the precinct.

The DEO was thorough, she had to give them that.

Or, thorough with what they knew of.

“I should probably check on Aunt Linda.” Maggie glanced over at Kira. “Did I tell her about them?”

Kira nodded. “She was so happy for you. I don’t know if she ever talked about visiting to meet them, though.”

“I’ll go to her. It’ll be safer for us in Reefside.” No one could sneak up on any Ranger in the place they defended. The love of the people and Ranger blood in the land created a powerful kind of protection.

“Trent and Ethan can keep an eye out so you can relax as much as you can.”

Maggie huffed. “You’d think this is the kinda shit we were done with in high school.”

“I don’t think we’re ever really free of the fucked up stuff that can happen to us.” Kira wrinkled her nose. “I blame Tommy.”

Maggie raised her ice cream in salute. “Oh, yeah. This is totally his fault.”

* * *

J’onn didn’t even look at the paperwork dropped on the conference table. “You both know I won’t accept your resignation.” He finished what he was doing and looked up at Lucy and Alex. “I also know you both are on leave.”

“It was specifically grief leave.” Alex crossed her arms. “I’m no longer grieving.”

“I can’t be a member of any government organization when I ruin the General’s life,” Lucy said.

“And we all know I have no problem being AWOL,” Alex pointed out.

He motioned for them to sit and took it as a good sign that they did so. But he knew they respected him enough to even give him a chance to speak. “What is it, exactly, that you both plan to do? No contact is allowed even for former DEO agents. M’gann has informed me that looking at your picture for extended periods causes Maggie headaches.”

Alex frowned. “That shouldn’t be happening. You wouldn’t do that to her.”

“I did not. Please remember this has all occurred because of a force in her life we know nothing about.”

“A force with direct Presidential orders,” Lucy said, because of course, Schott would tell them-

Oh, it was Vasquez. That wasn’t surprising to J’onn, either.

He placed in front of them the three sheets of paper that were all the DEO was allowed to keep in regards to Margarita Sawyer. “Also remember the President is aware of many, many things outside the DEO. 

Lucy barely glanced at them, having trusted Vasquez to deliver the pertinent information on them. “Which means she knows the details of whatever Terra Venture is and why Maggie is considered one of them. Even if she never spoke of them to us or, apparently, anyone.”

J’onn motioned to the resignation forms. “If you turn these in, I won’t be able to discuss with you a possible working relationship with Terra Venture.”

Alex scoffed. “As if you had any plans of letting us go. You know we’d start an exodus. Winn and my team would follow tomorrow. Vas and Demos would finally agree about something.”

J’onn would never admit that yes, Alex and Lucy had enough pull within the DEO to build their own organization. Well, he wouldn’t admit it while they were working against him. It WAS a rather grand plan he was working on, after all.

“The three of us know the show we have to put on for everyone else,” Lucy said, tilting her head towards the closed door. The moment they picked up the resignation forms from HR, the rumor mill would have started running full tilt. Everyone would suspect Alex and Lucy were leaving due to Maggie being taken from them. “Which brings us to what you’re going to say to convince us to stick around.”

“As you know, Fort Rozz and the Kryptonian pods aren’t the only way aliens have come to Earth. Terra Venture is a program that deals with more civilian modes of alien transportation. Think of them as extraterrestrial immigration.” For the sake of this conversation, anyway. “They have the means to communicate beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Due to the rather unofficial means and contacts in some cases, this has remained a very well kept secret.”

“Vas said they wanted to ‘ease the strain on the desert prison.’” Lucy raised an eyebrow. “They can send some of the Fort Rozz prisoners home.”

“Yes, and make sure their crimes are known and acknowledged.” J’onn folded his hands together. “It would decrease the number of escape attempts as well as allow us to shift the operational budget elsewhere.”

Alex was only half convinced. “They want access to the DEO. Prisoner transport is the first step.”

“And none of this brings us closer to Maggie,” Lucy said, her voice only wavering for those of heightened hearing. “We want her back, J’onn. We’re not going to stop wanting her back.”

“I understand.” They didn’t question him or scoff; he had lost more than they ever would. “But in this case, your tenacity will do far more harm than good. You need to trust she will find her way back to the both of you.”

“What do you know?” Alex demanded. “You wouldn’t have gone along with this no matter where the orders came from unless you knew it wasn’t going to work. You know the fall out would’ve been too great to make wiping Maggie’s memory a viable option. So. What do you know, J’onn?”

He wanted to tell them. He wanted them to know everything. But it wasn’t his secret to tell. Revealing Maggie’s identity would only make Lucy and Alex more reckless.

“What I know is the two of you have been so busy looking to blame others for this that you haven’t asked yourselves what is it that she has deemed so important it requires such secrecy? We know she wasn’t spying on us. So. What is so important in her life that it demands she keep silent even with the two of you?”

Alex was glaring at him for avoiding the question, but Lucy was staring at the table. J’onn didn’t have to read their minds to know they wouldn’t push any further with him. 

“I believe the two of you are still on leave for the next three days.”

Alex shoved away from the table. Lucy got up and pushed their chairs in before leading Alex out of the room. J’onn took the resignation forms and moved them to his shred pile. He would have to give them all time to work themselves back to a new normal. But once Maggie was with them again, those three women would be unstoppable.


	5. Chapter 5

Maggie shuffled down the hall to her apartment and rotated her shoulder, wincing as the movement caused the road rash to catch on her skin. She dug her keys out of her pocket and shoved her door open. Inside, the light above the stove revealed a pizza box and a six-pack of beer. Trent was on her couch, playing a game instead of reading the reports his dad had likely sent with him.

“I’ve never given you a key,” Maggie said as she shuffled over to the kitchen. The pizza was hot and the beer was cold so she wouldn’t kick Trent out just yet.

“You gave Kira a key.” He shrugged. “Ergo, you gave all of us a key.”

She brought the beer and pizza to the couch, and he sat up to give her space. After chugging half a can, she dug out two pieces and sandwiched them together.

“That bad?” Trent asked as he picked up his own box of pizza.

“Stupid Gildorians and their stupid toxic mucus made me take a flying leap into traffic so I wouldn’t be out of commission for another week.” She took the biggest bite she could manage and closed her eyes to savor the heat and grease.

Trent gave her a look. “Mags, you just returned to work two days ago.”

“That’s why I dived out of the way,” Maggie insisted through a mouthful of pizza.

“Yeah, great, but what are you doing finding this much trouble already?”

“Working a case?” She swallowed. “Doing my job? I might not remember the details of the last year but I’ve been doing this since before I got involved with black ops government agencies.” She rubbed at her temple and wondered if it was worth getting up to get some painkillers.

Trent frowned. “You have a headache?”

“Had once since I shoved those two spitting bastards into a patrol car.”

“Did you bump your head?”

“No. You know Sheppard would’ve taken me to his place so Liz could keep an eye on a head case.” Maggie to this day wondered how her partner’s nurse of a wife allowed him out of the house knowing how much physical trouble he found.

“Do you think one of them was at the scene?” Trent asked.

Maggie gave him a confused look. “Why would they be?” She didn’t have to question who “them” was, there were only so many people he could be referring to.

“I’ve never met her, but from what you’ve told me, Alex seems like the type who would check in on her amnesiac girlfriend if she was taking on Gildorians.” He held up his hand. “And she’s definitely not someone who would care if two branches of military told her to stay away from you.”

Maggie sighed. “And if I saw her, I wouldn’t know it.”

“Exactly.” He nudged the slice of pizza in her hand, prompting her to eat. “The negotiations for prisoner transfer are going well. Taylor said she’s going to handle it personally because apparently, she knows Lucy from before she was a Ranger.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow. “And she doesn’t think this won’t backfire spectacularly?”

“I think that’s kinda what she’s hoping for.” Trent sipped his beer. “General Lane handed down orders saying they can’t contact you directly. But if Terra Venture, an organization above his clearance level, gets involved with the DEO? Well, he controls nothing there.”

“That still won’t stop the headaches.”

“But it can _start_ the conversation.” He stood up and headed for the cabinet that held her first aid kit. “We can’t tell them about the Grid or who you were in high school. But if they’re curious and determined enough to find out? Well, we did our best.”

Maggie wrinkled her nose at the sight of the first aid kit. “I want to shower before I change the bandage.”

He tossed a bottle of pills at her. “At least take the edge off.”

She sighed but did as she was told. At least her overbearing friends took care of her when they showed up without notice.

* * *

Lucy pushed herself off the conference table when Vasquez warned her the Terra Venture crew was just around the corner. Kara meandered over to her left side, and Alex straightened up at her right. When the contingent made their way down the last hall, Lucy laced her fingers behind her back and knew Kara now resembled the proud Kryptonian Supergirl and not everyone’s best friend.

“Colonel,” Lucy greeted, a slight twist to her lips. “Promotion looks good on you.”

“Director,” Taylor said with her own smirk. “How’s the paperwork now that you’re in charge?”

“Only a handful of unruly elements are idiot enough to generate extra paperwork on my base.” Lucy knew she was confusing the hell out of everyone she hadn’t told about her past interactions with Taylor. Lucy admitted to Alex that Taylor was as much an ex as one could be when they couldn’t openly date. Kara and Vasquez knew Lucy had been on the same base as Taylor for long enough to form an alliance.

“Shall we start the dry run?” Taylor asked.

Lucy nodded and led the way down to the holding cells. Taylor fell in step with her, and they started to discuss best take out places since Taylor and her crew would be half based out of National City for the foreseeable future. Kara chimed in, losing some of the cold arrogance of her people. Alex remained silent, waiting for the slip-up Lucy knew Taylor wouldn’t allow.

The cell they stopped in front of held an Iciod. They were stronger than a human, but not larger or faster. They could cause frostbite if they touched people for too long. It would be a good test of the exchange system.

Once the Terra Venture team had the rundown of strengths and weaknesses, Lucy unlocked the cell. Taylor let her people go to work. She didn’t micromanage them but didn’t hesitate to step in and help when it was necessary. Kara helped because of course she would. Alex stood back, watching, her hand on the holster holding her Maaldorian blaster.

Once the Iciod was loaded up, Taylor sent her team on their way. Kara took off, citing a patrol of the route the Terra Venture team would be taking.

“Hungry?” Lucy asked.

Taylor nodded. “I could eat.”

Lucy brought Taylor down to the mess hall while they hashed out a schedule for prisoner transport. Alex stalked behind, saying nothing. Taylor didn’t seem at all bothered by the silent, menacing shadow that Lucy’s girlfriend had become. Once they had trays of food, they found a corner and Lucy angled her tablet so Taylor could see the calendar.

Eventually, they ended up in Lucy’s office. Taylor handed over a USB drive during a lull in the conversation.

“This is every species we have open communications with, ranked by how official those lines are.” She sighed. “There aren’t many unofficial or illegal connections, but there are some governments that don’t care about what their people get up to on other planets.”

“Especially ones that can’t achieve decent space flight,” Alex said, speaking for the first time. “You’ve said there’s a general agreement to continue a kind of incarceration or punishment. But how do we know that for sure?”

Taylor shrugged. “The same way we trust other governments to deal with their criminals. We can’t hand hold everyone. If one of these aliens comes back, we’ll deal with it then.”

“Alex, we can’t continue holding some of these aliens indefinitely,” Lucy said. “Some of them are going to outlive even the youngest agents we have now. Yes, the DEO started in response to the Fort Rozz escapees. That’s not all we have to be. The DEO’s access to alien technology means we can do more than just hunt down criminals.”

“No, you’re right.” Alex considered Taylor for a long moment. “But I guess some of us can’t do anything but keep secrets.”

Taylor took no offense and waved off Lucy from scolding Alex. “If it were as straightforward as telling you what’s going on, I would.” She stood up and headed for the door. “But it’s not something we can ever speak of. Let me know when you figure it out.”

* * *

Maggie had no idea why she was wearing a bulletproof vest to arrest an Infernian. She was going to end up cooked in kevlar. Which was another reason to end this little fire fight. Bad enough some scaffolding had been used against the SWAT team already.

Maggie unhooked one of the new fire suppression grenades that had been developed for fire producing aliens. It wouldn’t stop the alien, but it was mostly to keep cars from exploding around them. She chucked the grenade at a burning SUV. The foam instantly doused the flames.

This, apparently, was a deadly insult to the Infernian.

Maggie dived behind a pallet of bricks. Her eyes slammed shut as pain spiked through her head. One of the SWAT teams opened fire but was soon taking cover again. Maggie eyed a pipe from the knocked over scaffolding. The Infernian was advancing on her hiding place fast, and Maggie’s gun was a melted pile of metal somewhere near the entrance of the construction site. A metal pipe wasn’t the best option, but it would-

Pain lanced between her eyes. Maggie gasped and couldn’t stop the instinctive reaction to curl up around her head. Her ears rang like she had been next to an explosion.

“Sawyer!”

Maggie felt the hot ground dig along her right side as the pain receded.

“Talk to me, Mags,” Sheppard said.

She managed to crack one eye open against the noon sunlight. “Is every-”

“Team is fine, just a little dusty.” Sheppard helped her sit up. “One of the new kids decided to just unload the water truck on him. What’s with you?”

Maggie leaned against the bricks. “I don’t know. One minute, I’m fine. Next…”

He sighed and sat next to her. “That White Martian really fucked you up.”

That was the story her precinct had been told; she had run afoul with one of the worst telepathic aliens. Now there were bits of her memory missing, and she risked random migraines if her brain tried to piece together what wasn’t there anymore. Given the lack of reliable knowledge about White Martians, it was the perfect cover story.

Knowing the truth always caused a bitter taste in the back of her throat.

“C’mon.” Sheppard stood and offered his hand. “There’s a cool, dark squad car holding a water bottle with your name on it.”

She took his hand up and whined about him driving them back.

Half a mile above the construction site, Kara tapped on her comm piece. “It’s handled, Alex. You can head back.” She wasn’t surprised by the lack of reply.

Under a covered balcony across the street, Tommy sighed as he watched a black SUV make a U-turn. He lowered his binoculars and dialed his phone. “Hey, Eric? Finalize everything.”


	6. Chapter 6

Maggie lifted her head off the pillow when she heard a knock on her door. She wasn’t expecting anyone; after a rough first week back on the job, Sheppard promised to leave her alone if she texted him pictures of how she was lazing around her apartment. As much as Maggie wanted to hit a bar and maybe find some fun, she wasn’t sure that would work out for her. After all, who knows what bars she had gone to with Alex and Lucy. Anything could trigger a headache.

The second round of knocking was followed by a familiar voice. “You literally just texted me two minutes ago,” Kira said. “I know you’re home and awake.”

Rolling her eyes, she got up and opened the door. “That doesn’t mean-Okay. Why does this look like an intervention?”

“That’s because it is one,” Eric Myers said. “But it comes with a pay raise.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes but let Kira, Eric, Taylor, and Tommy into her apartment. Kira waved her away from the kitchen and Maggie headed for her bedroom to change into something that wasn’t sushi patterned. When she returned, everyone had a glass of water, and there were two tablets and a laptop opened on her dining table.

Taylor and Eric properly introduced themselves as the Yellow Wild Force and Red Time Force Rangers, respectively. She had a feeling she knew why they were here when Eric said he was co-director of the Silver Guardians.

“So. What’s all this about?” Maggie said, taking a seat.

“I saw what happened the other day,” Tommy said. He was unapologetic about it. Of course he was watching her. Maggie was more peeved she hadn’t caught him. “I know you don’t want to stop helping aliens or protecting National City.”

“The Silver Guardians were going to set up shop here when Supergirl first showed up,” Eric said. “We can deal with aliens in a way most police departments can't.”

Maggie nodded. “And then the DEO started to work with her.”

He shrugged. “They seemed to have things under control, so we let them handle things.”

“So, what?” Maggie looked around the table. “You want to bring the Guardians here and have me join up?”

“I want you to run the Silver Guardians here in National City.”

Maggie felt her rage click on. She slouched in her seat to keep herself from tensing for a fight. “This sounds like you’re benching me.”

“Oh, you’ll end up doing far more paperwork than you ever thought possible,” Taylor said. “But being in charge means you get to delegate that paperwork to go deal with the more interesting cases.”

“No Silver Guardian works alone,” Eric told her. “You would have a team at your six no matter what the situation. Being the director here in National City means you get to dictate what gets investigated and how.”

“As a detective,” Tommy said, “you’re a supporting member of the team. I know that fight in the parking lot would’ve gone differently if you could command the SWAT team instead of just suggest things to your partner.”

Maggie looked at Kira. “They want me to be a Red Ranger.”

She nodded and chose her words carefully. “For the past year, you’ve been surrounded by NCPD uniforms and government issue tactical gear. Dealing with an Infernian was the first case you worked with Alex. Maybe, with the Silver Guardians, the next Infernian encounter goes differently enough to prevent a migraine.”

“Not to mention the big “fuck you” this will send to the DEO and General Lane.” Maggie shut her eyes against the flare of pain. “Taking me out of the equation only to have me become a bigger player.”

“And as much credit as the DEO deserves,” Taylor said, “They are very much a seek and destroy operation. The Silver Guardians are a police force, but it’s expanded into so much more since Silver Hills. Aliens can find fair employment, get help dealing with the amnesty act, and maybe even find a way back home.”

“You were going to be tapped to do this two years ago, anyway,” Eric pointed out. “There was no way I would’ve passed up the experience you have with this city.”

Maggie knew only an idiot would’ve put in charge someone who didn’t understand National City. Eric was a crazy Red, but he wasn’t an idiot. “Drawbacks?”

“This will put you in direct conflict with DEO interests at some point,” Taylor said. “One of your suspects might be a Fort Rozz escapee. As far as they’ll be concerned, the “no contact” rule will remain in effect.”

“Which means someone else will have to talk to them.” Maggie looked around the table. “All of you have lives well-established outside of National City. What poor Ranger are you making my second in command?”

Eric turned one of the tablets towards her and slid it over. “Yellow Mystic Charlie Thorn. His team was two years after yours. He’s a bit of a conspiracy nut, but he’s calmed down.”

Maggie grinned. “He volunteered to work in a city with a Super, didn’t he?”

“That he did. But he’s an amazing Guardian, and he’ll deal with the DEO professionally.”

“While still driving them up the walls.” Taylor was smirking and staring out the window.

Eric raised an eyebrow at her. “What did you do?”

“Alex called me out at the DEO the other day.” She sighed happily. “I gave them something to think about.”

“How have any of us managed to keep our identities a secret when we yellows can be such shits?” Kira asked, shaking her head in amusement.

“You’re too busy being shits that no one thinks you can possibly save the world,” Maggie said. “You realize this might not keep them away from my crime scenes, right?”

“No,” Eric admitted, “but you’ll have a team keeping an eye out for them and reacting accordingly.”

Maggie already knew she was going to go through with the plan fifteen seconds after she was told about it. It was her best bet at staying involved with things the DEO would be working on while also providing power and protection. It would give Lucy and Alex more to look into, as well as give them a better chance at figuring out her secret identity. And, maybe, interacting with more Rangers would jumpstart the Morphin’ Grid’s ability to heal her mind.

Looking at Kira, Maggie asked, “Why are you here? These three make sense.”

Kira faked offense and showed off her cell phone screen, which was tracking a delivery driver. “I’m providing the food.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “You’re here because I won’t hit you, aren’t you?”

Kira stopped looking offended and shrugged. She pointed to Eric. “Not stupid enough to come here without Tommy.” She pointed to their former teacher. “Not stupid enough to come here without me.”

“Why do I have a feeling I’ve been insulted?” Eric asked.

Taylor patted her husband on the head. “I’m pretty sure your Red ego can handle it.”

Maggie stretched out her arms and sat up straight. “Okay. So where do we start?”

* * *

“Thanks for trying, Schott,” Lucy said before hanging up her cell phone.

“What happened?” Alex asked as Lucy returned to the couch.

“His computer locked up while looking into Earhardt’s more personal data.” She settled between Alex and Lois, who was visiting for the weekend again. “And then every computer he’s touched for the last two hours blue screened on him. He had to find a pay phone to call me because everything in the DEO is connected to a computer in some way.”

Kara sucked in a breath and winced. “Does he know how long it’ll last?”

“He said there’s a countdown clock on his phone that ends at the start of his shift tomorrow.”

“That’s something, at least,” Alex muttered. “How the HELL are we supposed to “figure it out” when every attempt we make ends up like this?”

“We just have to find a way they won’t be watching,” Lucy said. “We’re not giving up, just learning different tactics.”

Lois considered them for a long moment. “Terra Venture told the DEO to leave alone both Maggie and those associated with her, right? That was only directed at employees of the DEO.”

“The aliens who would help us won’t look into Maggie,” Kara said. “I already asked a handful, and they said they won’t betray Maggie like that.”

Lois was going to let their idiocy slide if only because they were too close to the subject to see clearly. “So you need a freelance agent to do the digging.”

“Hiring someone puts them in the employ of the DEO,” Lucy pointed out.

“You’re not usually this dense,” Lois said, glaring at her sister.

Three pairs of eyes widened all at once.

Protests about her safety immediately followed.

Lois waved a hand to silence them. “Show of hands, who’s maintained and grown a relationship with a Super and not suffered horrible consequences?” No one was able to raise their hands. “These people WANT you to know, and they haven’t hurt anyone in retaliation for Maggie’s memory loss. If anything, it seems as if they could’ve removed Maggie from National City with no problem.”

“But you need to work on stories to keep your job,” Kara said.

“I’ll admit this won’t be a quick investigation, but it will be thorough.”

Lucy stared at her sister for a long moment. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We’re not the best of sisters, but I don’t want you to suffer.” Lois grinned. “Besides, who knows what I’ll find.”

Lucy rolled her eyes but thanked Lois all the same. They had a starting point. Hopefully, this would lead to something they could work with to get Maggie back.

Twelve hours later, the two pairs of sisters were sitting on the edge of the couch. James had called Kara and told her to turn on the morning news. Kara had done so, then called the other three over when she saw what was going on.

On the screen, National City’s Mayor introduced the last person Alex and Lucy expected to see in National City. Wesley Collins, the owner of the Silver Guardians, gave a short speech on building a community that worked for both humans and aliens. Two aliens of obviously high rank stood off to the side, looking quite pleased.

Lucy groaned. “This is going to cause a jurisdictional nightmare.”

“Let me introduce you to the future director of our National City division,” Collins said as he looked off stage to his left. “Former NCPD detective, Margarita Sawyer.”

Lucy and Alex watched their girlfriend step up to the podium with a bright red beret proclaiming her rank. Somehow, she managed to make the plain gray uniform look appealing. Maggie smiled, seeming perfectly fine with the situation, and began to speak.

Alex found her voice first. “Oh, _shit_.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Examples of who Jack is, because his irreverence is a tad bit important for the speech he gives.   
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUyJ7j8uS1g&feature=youtu.be&t=32)

After the press conference ended, Lucy, Alex, and Kara rushed to the DEO. Lois offered to keep an eye on the television while she started her research. She had a whole day before Clark would fly her back to Metropolis, and she planned to make the most of it. When the three women got to the DEO, it was apparent everyone had heard the news.

The Silver Guardians would change National City on a level the DEO couldn’t predict.

Once they reached the command hub, Winn hurried over to them. “I’ve had to stick to publicly accessible data, but I can tell you right now this is unprecedented.”

“What is, exactly?” Lucy asked as they gathered around the conference table.

J’onn joined them, raising an eyebrow at the eavesdropping agents. No one seemed to notice him, and he sighed. They would get to work once they could focus.

Winn connected his tablet to the screens behind the table, displaying a dozen profiles. “The Silver Guardians never hire commanders from outside the organization. Every city commander has been promoted to the position. Half of them have a familiarity with the city having lived there their whole lives. Maggie might know National City very well and have a network of alien informants, but she has no past working relationship with the Silver Guardians.”

“They’re using the Daxamite invasion as a reason to move in,” Kara said. “They say they want to create a community where both humans and aliens can work together and not fear each other.”

“They also have resources the NCPD lacks and we can’t provide,” J’onn said. “For all the DEO has been working with Supergirl the past two years, we’re still an organization that no one can ever know, and therefore cannot trust.”

Alex sighed. “On top of all of this, Maggie is in charge. The DEO won’t be able to interact with the Silver Guardians if she’s present. Which means we’re out of the loop if they happen to deal with a Fort Rozz escapee, or find their way into anything we’re dealing with.”

“This is far too coincidental.” Lucy looked around the table. “The day after Maggie is forced out, an agency that deals with aliens laid claim to her. Two weeks later, after a memory almost gets her killed, another alien influenced organization puts her in a position of such power she will go unquestioned by all but a handful of other city leaders. She’s also in the brightest yet most legal spotlight manageable, meaning her actions and words will be remembered by everyone in the city who pays attention. Whoever these people are, they’re making absolutely certain another memory wipe won’t be so easy to pull off.”

“Which is great.” Kara sighed. “For Maggie.”

Alex nodded. “But where does that leave us?”

Lucy looked over the images on the screen. Nothing jumped out at her. Except… “Schott. You said you had to stick to publicly accessible data?”

“Yeah.” He brought up the Silver Guardian homepage. “Nothing’s stopping me from looking at anything that a Google search brings up.”

“That’s our key, then.” Lucy decided she would let Winn and Lois go on separate research paths and combine their findings later. “If it’s public information, then we’re not violating the rules set down by Terra Venture. So, Schott, look into everyone related to Maggie again, except no hacking this time. Where a trail ends, it ends.”

He nodded, fingers already flying across his tablet. “And hopefully they won’t erase all the data we compile.”

“So, just to be sure,” Kara said, focusing more on her sister than anyone else. “I’m not listed as an employee or member of the DEO, correct?”

“Your official designation is 'ally,'” J’onn said. “Same as your cousin, M’gann, and the handful of others that aren’t in the DEO’s employ.”

“But that means I can work with whoever I want, right? I don’t have to follow the same no contact rules? Because there’s no way I can avoid helping the Silver Guardians with either crime or setting up better alien/human relations without being scrutinized.”

“And there’s no way seeing you can hurt Maggie,” Alex said, starting to catch on. “Seeing you isn’t exactly unavoidable day to day. You would be able to work with her without consequence.”

“Well, not the same ones you would suffer,” Kara admitted. “We both know how she’s not exactly fond of Supergirl sized holes in the wall.”

“Which you’ve admittedly gotten better at avoiding,” Lucy pointed it. “Okay. We have a plan. Let’s see where this gets us.”

* * *

Maggie slid the top into place and patted the box. She didn’t have a lot of personal stuff at the precinct, but she felt like there would be more to her career than two paper boxes.

There was part of her that was going to miss this place.

But she could do so much more.

“No one’s going to appreciate food trucks as much as you do,” Sheppard moaned as he fell in her former chair. “Who’s going to get me the best service at all the taco stands?”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “We can still meet up for lunch. I’m only moving across the city.”

“You’re always going to be busy. You won’t have time for us lowly detectives anymore.”

“Do you honestly think I’ll ever be too busy for tacos?”

Sheppard grinned. “Point.”

Maggie straightened up just a little when Captain O’Neill approached. “Sir.”

“You know, Sawyer, you have a bad habit of ruining my plans.” He put a slim, leather box on top of her boxes and Maggie felt her pulse pick-up. “Okay, kids,” he looked around the room, knowing everyone was focusing on Maggie and her departure. “Usually, there’s a bit of ceremony to this, but we all know how I feel about dress uniforms, so I’ll spare us that particular hassle.”

Maggie was trying very, very hard not to blush as everyone stood and watched.

Jack turned his attention to Maggie completely. “Detective Margarita Sawyer, you’ve done so much more for this Science Division than the contents of this box will ever reflect. If you had any kind of patience, I might have been able to give you more of a reason to slum with us lowly city cops for a bit longer.” He heaved a sigh. “Alas, you’re off to bigger and fancier things.”

“I promise I won’t forget the people who helped me get this far.”

“Darn tootin’.” He flipped open the box and presented it to her. “On the down side, you only get to hear me say your new rank once. Plus side, this went into effect a week ago, so expect that nice paycheck.”

Maggie grinned while everyone around them laughed.

“Although this doesn’t have quite the ring to it as Commander, I hereby bestow you the rank of Sargent, and with the rights and responsibilities thereof.” He held out the box for her to take from him. “May you continue to honor your duties with the respectability you have shown in the past.”

“Thank you, sir. I hope to continue doing the Science Division proud no matter where I’m serving the community.”

Jack grinned. “And you said someone else wrote that speech for the press conference.” He motioned her to turn around, and she faced the gathering. “I present to you, Sargent Margarita Sawyer!”

Cheers and applause rang out from everyone. Maggie saw only genuine joy in her coworkers' eyes and wondered when she had become someone they liked instead of just respected.

Sheppard stood and clapped her on the shoulder before announcing to the room, “Tonight, we celebrate! Sargent Sawyer here is gonna put that new pay raise to use!”

Maggie laughed but nodded in agreement. “Sure. First round’s on me!” After all, she got an advance from the Silver Guardians. Giving the people who had her back for years a drink or two was the least she could do before leaving them.

Besides, this would be the last celebration she’d have for a while. Starting Monday, it was back to being a Red Ranger.

* * *

Ford was young, dumb, and crazy. Agent Danvers and the rest of the team were doing their best to train the dumb outta him. The young couldn’t be helped, and the crazy was a requirement for any team involving Danvers. Ford was learning more than he wasn’t. But there were still a few things he probably needed a lesson in.

Volunteering himself, Griff, and Mitchell as they walked into base after their lunch hour was going to get him a good five miles on the treadmill during their next endurance training. Volunteering them to escort General Lane and his goons to the command hub? He’d be on body bag duty for MONTHS.

Fortunately, he had a plan. While Griff led the way, Ford took up position in the back of the group and pulled out his cell phone. He knew Agent Siler at the front desk would have warned the command hub of the General’s impending arrival. But he knew better than to think anyone would disrupt Alex and Lucy during lunch.

[Red Alert: Gen Lane on premises. ETA 3 minutes.]

He silenced and slid his phone away. He wasn't expecting a reply; Alex would see the text and respond accordingly.

In the command center, Vasquez was sending for every agent that could have reasonable excuse to pass through or be in the hub. A few members of R&D could confer with the agent currently watching the satellite feeds. A handful of field agents could be looking over the map of their next op. Witnesses were always necessary when the General was around.

“Alex?” Winn asked, getting Vasquez’s attention. “Where’s Lucy?”

“We had lunch in the office with Earhardt and Thorn.” Alex glanced towards the elevator. “They’ve gone back to talking, and I’ve been in my lab for the last twenty minutes.”

“Well, go back up there,” Vasquez said. “He _might_  be willing to talk to you, but I like the idea of making him wait.”

Alex considered it for a moment. “He doesn’t know Lucy and J’onn have switched for the Silver Guardian meeting. He won’t be expecting Lucy.”

“And as far as all of us are concerned, the base’s current Director is in a meeting that will ensure the best working relationship with the Silver Guardians.” Vasquez grinned a little. “Interrupting the proceedings for an unannounced, non-emergency meeting would be unprofessional.”

Alex smirked. “He can, of course, wait in a conference room for said Director. Who knows how long it will be, though.”

“He’s almost here,” Winn warned, watching the cameras.

“Go warn her, Danvers,” Vasquez said. “We got this.”

“Are you sure?” Alex didn’t want to leave them to face the General’s wrath. She had no problem giving him an aneurysm, but didn't want to ask others to do the same.

It was Demos who answered. “We can handle it, Danvers.”

Alex looked between Winn, Vasquez, and Demos. They seemed confident they would handle the General’s rage. “Okay. Good luck.” She headed off, paused, and looked back. “Don’t kill him?”

Winn scoffed. “A light maiming, at most.”

Alex nodded and jogged off.

Vasquez snorted. “You might lightly maim him, but I intend on taking his legs off.”

“Aaannd this is why you terrify me.” Winn turned back to his screen and pretended to work.

It took less than a minute for Alex’s team to bring General Lane into the command hub. Vasquez stood and took note of Demos and Schott standing in a way that indicated their support and the room's leadership laid with Vasquez.

“I need to speak with the Director about the Silver Guardians,” he said, looking down his nose at them.

Vasquez nodded once. “We’ve informed the Director of your arrival. You’re welcome to a conference room, and we can send the Director once the meeting with the Silver Guardians is over.”

“He’s speaking with them right now?” Lane demanded, appalled.

Vasquez saw no reason to correct him. “The meeting has been scheduled since Monday.”

“Why is the DEO only now reacting to the arrival of the Silver Guardians?” Lane demanded. “This meeting should have happened before the press conference on Saturday.”

“Seems to me that the protective force in Maggie’s life decided to get a little more proactive,” Winn suggested. “It’s too bad her _entire life is off limits to us_ , or we may have seen it coming.”

Vasquez could feel Demos twitch. It was often forgotten that while Schott let his fear show, he had yet to run from a challenge or threat.

Fortunately, the General was aiming for something else. “And I take it Director Henshaw has ignored all orders to keep Detective Sawyer away from the DEO?” He seemed absolutely disgusted, and Vasquez almost wished that were the case.

“Commander Sawyer sent over the division’s second in command.” Vasquez watched as he was both pleased by the lack of Maggie and annoyed by the move of disrespect. “Would you like to be shown to a conference room to await the Director, sir?”

“No. I believe it would be best if I joined in that meeting.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Vasquez’s years of training was the only thing that hid any kind of amused reaction as Lucy, Alex, and Sub Commander Thorn entered the room. Behind them, Colonel Earhardt waited in the shadows of the hall. After all, General Lane had no business knowing of her.

“What do you mean by that, Lucy?”

The way everyone stiffened was a sign to Vasquez that the General’s familiarity wouldn’t be tolerated.

“The DEO was informed today that we now fall under a General George Hammond’s command.” Lucy crosses her arms. “Your authority has no say here, and your participation serves no purpose.”

The two soldiers behind the General looked uncomfortable. Alex was downright gleeful, Lucy had a glint to her eye, and Thorn seemed amused by the whole thing.

General Lane looked ready to explode. He opened his mouth, but Lucy cut him off.

“There is no order you can give that I have to follow. I see no reason to entertain your delusion of control.”

The command hub had fallen silent. Everyone had heard how Lucy had reacted to the orders to wipe Maggie’s mind. Vasquez wasn’t surprised Lucy was going to make sure he never had a chance to do more harm.

“Agent Mitchell, please have your team escort the General off-site.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“This isn’t over, Lucy.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. Just remember, the DEO is allowed to monitor all those who have associated with us.”

When the elevator closed, Winn held up both hands for high fives. Alex and Lucy gave him what he wanted.

Earhardt joined them and nudged Lucy in the shoulder. “That was awesome. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out he can’t access anything on General Hammond?”

“I think I’m going to see if I can have a camera installed in his office just so I can have that reaction on video forever.”

Winn grinned. “On it!”

“You guys are fun,” Thorn said, looking far more relaxed than he had moments before.

Alex drooped and nodded, saying something about her lab and hurrying off.

Thorn frowned. “Was it something I said?”

“Yes,” Lucy said, “she was told that before. Not your fault.”

Once Thorn and Earhardt left, Lucy leaned back on the desk between Winn and Vasquez.

“You okay boss lady?” Winn asked.

“Yeah. Just… now we have to wait and see what he does in retaliation.”

“We’ll see him coming a mile away soon enough,” Winn said. “ _He_  doesn’t have some weird protection covering his tracks.”

“Let’s hope that’s enough.”

“We’re with you and Director Henshaw, ma’am,” Demos said. “The two of you haven’t done wrong by us. We’ve got your back.”

“I can’t believe this is the second time today I agree with Demos,” Vasquez drawled, “But he’s right.”

“Damn it.” He yanked out his phone and hit record. “Say that again?”

Vasquez flipped him and his phone the bird. “Fuck off.”

Lucy shook her head and headed off to check on the girlfriend she still had access to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Example of General Hammond, so you can get a feel of who I'm putting in charge  
> (https://youtu.be/cjIK3MWD-10?t=29)  
> (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgXXaTjuCig)


	8. Chapter 8

Alex snagged the dusty can from the far corner of the cabinet with a triumphant noise. The glint of light on plastic made her pause. Putting the can on the counter, she stretched to her toes and snagged at what was hiding in the darkness. When she saw her find, her grip tightened

Well, that explained where the Thin Mints went.

Sighing, Alex put the half roll of cookies on the counter. It was protected by an evidence collection bag, and only one person would do that in the apartment.

“Whatcha got there?” Lucy asked as she entered the kitchen. “Oh.”

Alex leaned against Lucy. “Looks like we missed something during the clean.” She couldn’t call the removal of Maggie from their lives anything else

Lucy wrapped an arm around Alex and picked up the baggie. “C’mon, dinner won’t be ruined by a few cookies.”

They sat on the couch and Alex curled as close to Lucy as possible. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“What, exactly?” Lucy didn’t sound angry, but Alex had felt her stiffen and relax.

“It’s been a month and a half, Luce. We’ve gotten nowhere. Winn keeps compiling information, but he hasn’t _learned_  anything of use.” Alex picked at the baggie. “Kara’s been spending so much time with the Silver Guardians that Supergirl has projects planned with them for the next six months. I can’t… I’m relieved Kara can be there with Maggie and have her back, but I don’t know how much longer I can stand hearing my sister have a better relationship with my girlfriend.”

Lucy squeezed her and kissed Alex’s temple. “I know.”

“I want her back, Lucy, I do.” Alex looked her in the eye. “I just...thinking about her used to make me feel hopeful. Now I’m only sad.”

“I understand, Alex, trust me.” Lucy pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I want Maggie here with us, too. But being able to do nothing is bringing us down.”

“I don’t want to give up on her.” Alex nibbled at her cookie. “But how long do we wait? What happens to everything we’re hoping for if she goes on a date? M’gann said Maggie _still_  can’t look at pictures of us.”

Lucy ran her fingers through Alex’s hair. “We can ask Winn not to bring her up unless he has something for us to work with. I’m sure you can ask Kara to keep the updates to general things involving the Silver Guardians.”

“We were so worried having them in the city was going to be a problem.” Alex sighed. “But we’ve only had one run-in with them.”

“Yeah,” Lucy said, huffing a little instead of laughing. “And it was an accident.”

Then finished off the roll of cookies in silence.

“This feels like giving up,” Alex whispered.

“It’s not, Alex. I promise.”

* * *

“Um, Mags?”

Maggie looked up from where she was flipping eggs. “Yeah?”

“Neither of us like our eggs over easy.” Kira was watching her, not with worry, but with curiosity.

Maggie looked down at the pan and quickly tried to salvage the eggs into a scramble. “Do you think it’s a force of habit?”

Kira leaned on the counter next to her and watched Maggie’s face. “How’s your head feeling?”

“I’m pretty sure the ache at the base of my skull is because you got me wasted, not because I’m trying to make breakfast for people who aren’t here.”

Kira shrugged. “You’ve been running almost non-stop since you took charge of the Guardians. Alcohol was the only way to loosen the knot in your shoulders.”

“I’ve taken my days off,” Maggie protested as she nudged Kira over so she could plate the eggs. 

“Yeah, and then you sleep most of the day because you’re pushing sixteen hours shifts.”

“There’s a lot to do.”

“There’s a lot of people to help you get it all done.”

Maggie brought the food over to the table. “Only a fourth of the base knows National City with any familiarity. And we both know I’m hands on.”

“I’m not telling you to stay behind the desk.” Kira put a glass of water next to Maggie’s hand. “I’m telling you that you don’t need to do _everything_.”

“Trust me, Charlie’s good about telling me to fuck off and let him handle things.”

Kira grinned. “What were you expecting from a Yellow?”

Maggie rolled her eyes and knew Kira had a point. There was a reason an asshole Yellow was put as second in command to a Red. The checks and balances of a Ranger team worked far too well off the battlefield to be abandoned once their powers were gone.

They ate breakfast and spoke of Kira’s upcoming tour. She was going to have a kick-off party in Reefside exclusively for residents, including a free performance at their former high school. Once the meal was over, Kira took charge of cleaning up, and Maggie settled on the couch and queued up Netflix. She frowned at something under her “Continue Watching” listing. A cooking competition was definitely not her thing.

Maggie hit play. It took all of ten seconds for a migraine to explode behind her eyes.

_ The darkness was suffocating. Her every muscle felt weak and useless. There was a low rumble, one she would forever recognize as the T-Rex, but it sounded pained and far away-- _

“Easy, Mags, easy.” Kira’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Maggie squinted her eyes open and felt more than saw the damp cloth on her face. “Kira?”

“That was a bad one.”

Maggie groaned. “I can’t even watch Netflix?”

“You can, it’s just….” Kira sighed and laced her fingers with Maggie’s. “The Morphin’ Grid is never going to stop trying to return what you lost. Anything that should trigger a memory is going to jumpstart the Grid.”

“Does it have to hurt?” Maggie whined.

“Unfortunately. The memory wipe did _damage_ , Mags. The Grid is trying to heal you, but it’s fighting against essentially nothing. It’s like straining a muscle doing a round-house kick when you haven’t for months.” 

“Well, I’m starting to wish it wouldn’t.”

“Maggie, no-”

“Kira, yes.” She sat up, ignoring how weak she felt, and tossed the cloth on the coffee table. The migraines passed quickly, though the fatigue lingered. “I _don’t_  remember any of it, so I don’t miss it. I don’t know them, so I don’t miss them. I have no reason to care, so why should I? Why does the Grid give a damn now when it didn’t protect me in the first place?”

“They haven’t stopped looking for our secret.” Kira’s voice was hard, and Maggie could see the tears she was trying to hold back. “They haven’t given up on you, and neither has anyone looking to fix this on our end. You can’t give up on one of the best things that has ever happened to you, Maggie.”

Kira’s grip on Maggie’s hand was bordering on desperate. “But I never introduced them to you. Any of you.”

“You never have, not to anyone. You know we avoid that no matter what.”

Maggie sighed. “One more month, Kira. I can’t put that part of my life on hold forever. If only so I can get laid.”

Kira rolled her eyes, smiling slightly despite the threatening tears. “One month. But I’ll still bet this is resolved before then.”

Part of Maggie wanted to accept the bet, except...Kira was adamant Maggie had been at her happiest with Alex and Lucy. Maybe that wasn’t something she should bet against just yet.

* * *

Lois sat down at the table without hesitation. “Eugene Skullovitch and Farkas Bulkmeier.” She held out her hand. “Lois Kent.”

Bulkmeier took her hand and shook it gently. “Good morning, Mrs. Kent.”

It no longer felt weird to be called by what had been her mother-in-law’s title until very recently.

Skulluvitch snorted. “Farkas.”

He nudged his friend. “Can it, Skull.”

Lois extended her hand to the other man, and he took it with the professionalism she expected of a man who sold out concert halls. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

Bulkmeier’s smile would’ve been congenial enough if not for the gleam in his eyes. “It’s always a pleasure to talk to someone who wants to discuss the Power Rangers.”


	9. Chapter 9

__ So get back, back, back to where we lasted.  
__ Just like I imagine.  
__ I could never feel this way.  
__ So get back, back, back to the disaster.  
_ My heart's beating faster.  
_ __ Holding on to feel the same.

 

Lois had learned a lot of things in her career as a reporter. Her husband’s secret identity was only the tip of the iceberg. The truths that had come to light in the last two months painted a picture she honestly should’ve seen forming well before her meeting with Bulkmeier and Skullovitch.

On the plus side, said meeting had resulted in free seats to any of the pianist’s concerts, should she ever be interested. 

The downside was, well, having to tell her sister and Alex what she had learned. Without explicitly stating the truth she was now bound to keep secret.

Learning the truth was easy. Being unable to report it without risking dozens of lives wasn’t exactly new, either. But being sworn to keep silent all she had learned? She had only done that twice. She supposed she had long ago set such precedence for superheroes.

Her destination when she got to National City via Super Express was Kara’s apartment. Winn was waiting for her, and they quickly combined their final results. While they had collaborated somewhat over the last two months, they had mainly let each other follow different leads. Lois was far more capable of getting face to face meetings while Winn had better luck finding electronic records. 

Kara watched from the sidelines, examining the evidence for herself. Lois had a feeling Kara would catch on before Lois would have a chance to explain it all. Once the map was pinned and the details spread out, they stepped back and sighed.

“It makes sense,” Kara murmured, “now that I can see it all in one place. Does Kal…?”

Lois nodded. “I didn’t have to explain it to him once he saw the clusters.” She looked at Kara. “Why does this still feel like we’re telling them bad news?”

“Because this doesn’t solve the problem.” Kara motioned to the map. “This just explains the link Maggie has to people we were never expecting.”

“But now we know this,” Winn said. “We know why she’s so protected, why another Black Ops agency laid claim to her, and why another organization was ready to put her in charge. We don’t have a solution to getting Maggie back. What we have is why she was so hard to monitor.”

Kara checked her beeping phone. “They’re heading over now.”

Lois took a deep breath and got cups of water ready. It wouldn’t be long until she had to tell her little sister yet another thing that would make or break her. As much as they hadn’t gotten along for the longest time, Lois was relieved she had rebuilt the relationship with Lucy. It was just shitty that being close meant dealing with things like this.

But at least they had each other. Lois could be happy with that.

When Alex and Lucy arrived, they wasted no time with pleasantries. Lucy immediately started to look things over while Alex crossed her arms and focused on Winn and Lois. Lucy would examine the details first, then build the bigger picture. Alex wanted quick and fast information since she trusted those at the table to leave nothing out.

“Every major player Maggie has associated with over the last two months all have one thing, and only one thing, in common.” Lois pointed to each city as she listed them off. “Tommy Oliver from Angel Grove. Kira Ford, Trent Mercer, and Ethan James from Reefside. Eric Meyers and Wesley Collins from Silver Hills. Taylor Earhardt from Turtle Cove. Charlie Thorn from Briarwood. Dana Mitchell of Mariner Bay.”

“Not all of them grew up in these places,” Winn said as he took over. “A lot of them moved there like Maggie did to Reefside. But they were all in these specific places for the same event.”

Lucy looked up from the map. “An event that would’ve bound them all together to the point of helping each other at a moment’s notice. Which would have to be something powerful and important, especially if it continues to follow them into their day to day lives.”

“Something no one would know to look for or even notice,” Alex said, looking at Kara with understanding filling her eyes. “A secret she would keep because it’s not just her who would be affected by telling it.”

“It’s not that she didn’t trust us,” Lucy murmured, looking at the dozens of faces on the map. “It’s that she can’t ask everyone else to trust us.”

Alex pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. Kara moved around the table and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  

“What are we going to do?” Winn asked.

“Is there anything we can do?” Alex ran a hand through her hair. “This doesn’t bring her memories back or stop her from being in pain at the sight of us. All this tells us is that we messed up, big time. We’re lucky Terra Venture and the Silver Guardians have decided to work with us instead of wiping the DEO off the map.”

“We’re not the ones who did this to her,” Lucy said.

“We let it happen.” Alex pushed away from the table and her sister. “We could’ve warned her. We could’ve done more to stop him.”

“Alex, we weren’t here,” Kara pointed out quietly, not wanting to pin it on Lucy.

Alex went to Lucy and wrapped her in a hug. “I’m not mad at you. I will never be anything but apologetic for not being there for you. But all of us did nothing. We let him take her from us.”

Lois watched her sister cling to Alex in a way Lucy had never held anyone, ever. Learning this information _had_  to be of some use, otherwise why let her or Winn gain anything from their investigations? “You two were told by Earhardt to let her know when you figured it out, right? This wasn’t something you could be told, and you weren’t. So. What happens when you inform her you know how they’re all connected?”

Lucy pulled away from Alex just far enough to get her phone out of her pocket. “Let’s find out.”

* * *

Taylor didn’t bother knocking. “Hey, Sawyer.” If Maggie wanted privacy, the door would be closed.

Maggie straightened up and blinked in surprise. “What brings you here, Earhardt?”

Taylor sat across the desk and considered the Red Ranger for a moment. “They’ve learned the truth.”

Maggie’s pen slipped from her fingers. “What?”

“Lois Lane and Winn Schott managed to put the pieces together. They laid it out for the other two, and things clicked into place.”

Maggie frowned. “But we don’t have a fix on our end.”

“No, we don’t.” Taylor sighed. “I told them as much. They’re willing to wait. They want in on the research.”

“We have some of the best scientists in this sector of the galaxy trying to figure out how to reverse a memory wipe.” Maggie sounded as if she wasn’t surprised no one had managed a fix. “Yeah, I've seen Alex’s credentials, but she’s not going to make any further progress.”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t be included.”

“I guess.” The dismissive attitude was one of many small changes Kira had reported to Taylor over the last two months. As far as Kira was concerned, Maggie had reverted to the person she was before meeting Alex and Lucy. While Maggie had always been a kind and caring person, she also didn’t expect much of anyone. “If it’ll make them feel useful, then why not?”

Taylor fought the urge to run her mouth. Now wasn’t the time. “This is still your life, Maggie. If you don’t want them involved, then they won’t be.”

“We’ve already let them in on the secret. It’s kinda too late to tell them to fuck off.” Maggie started to tidy her desk. “Look, I just need to think about this, okay? Can we talk tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Taylor stood and headed for the door. There was no talking to a Red that had shut down. “Stay safe, Sawyer.”

Maggie’s reply was absent and automatic. “Be careful, Earhardt.” 

* * *

Charlie was always careful to never rely on his magic. He used it when necessary, and sometimes for play, but never became so dependent he couldn’t function without it. He did, however, keep in practice. That meant, when he was racing across the Silver Guardian compound, he was as swift and as quick as the lightning his magic was based on.

“Where’s Maggie?” Charlie asked Novak.

The gatekeeper and receptionist to the department heads seemed surprised he didn’t know. “She headed home early. I thought the base would be rejoicing by now.”

Usually, yes, everyone would be amazed at the fact their fearless leader had skipped out on work. “Find her. She’s NOT heading home.” Over the last two months, he and Maggie had bonded in such a way that the Grid was now shouting at him that she was up to something Very Bad. “Have a medical team meet me at her location.”

“Medical? Not tactical?”

His gut twisted as he wasted precious seconds in the conversation. “Medical. Definitely.” He raced off before he could be questioned again. If he didn’t catch up to Maggie soon, she might not be alive for him to reach.

* * *

There was something about the knock on the door that made Lucy’s chest ache. She frowned as she got up from the couch, wondering what was causing such a sensation. It didn’t feel like danger. She twisted the knob and was about to swing the door open when it was grabbed by whoever was on the other side.

Lucy instantly regretted not looking through the peephole as fear flooded her veins. 

“Don’t say anything and don’t open the door any further.”

Maggie.

Lucy motioned for Alex to join her, only to feel Alex pressed up against her back before she could even look back over at the couch. 

“Taylor told me you figured it out.” Maggie’s voice was almost casual, except for the slightest of wavers. “She explained to you how the remnant of my power is trying to heal something it can’t replace. We have no idea how to reverse this kind of memory wipe. Others who had their minds messed with were active Rangers and had the full protection of the Morphin’ Grid.”

Alex’s grip on Lucy’s arm was starting to cut off circulation to her hand.

“Learning our identities doesn’t give you the full scope of what it means to be a Ranger.” Maggie huffed. “If anyone knew what I was about to offer, they wouldn’t be surprised, but they would try to talk me out of it. Here’s the thing about Red Rangers: We’re crazy. We get shit done because it’s all or nothing with us.”

Dread made Lucy’s chest tighten. She had no idea what Maggie was going to do, only that it was bad if she was here without any other Ranger to back-up the plan. Lois’ research showed they tended to populated cities and travel in pairs at the very least.

“Every time I’ve looked at a picture of you, tried to think about you, or encountered something that should’ve triggered a memory of you, my powers try to bring what no longer exists to the surface. The migraines have knocked me out for almost an hour sometimes. But the memories are there...They just aren’t with me.” Maggie took a deep breath. “There are memories we share. My team constantly tells me you two were the best things to happen to me since we saved the world. If that’s true, then I didn’t bond with you only on the normal emotional and human levels. If I… If I loved you both enough to risk another engagement and the idea of a wedding, then I must have felt safe enough that my powers didn’t warn me away. My powers must have bonded with you, too, in some way, for the Grid to be acting like this.”

Lucy could feel the idea click into place. They had memories of Maggie. Somehow, just maybe, Maggie’s powers could get those memories from them.

“So, here’s the plan: I walk into this apartment and expose my mind completely to you, the place I called home, and everything that comes with it. When the migraine hits, either the Morphin’ Grid saves my life, or it doesn’t. But this doesn’t affect just me. If you want to risk this, open the door all the way. If not, close it.”

Alex’s hand wrapped around Lucy’s and they yanked open the door.

Maggie’s skin was tanned darker and freckled from so much time in the field. Her hair was longer and braided back in a way they’d never seen before. Her eyes were far, far more guarded than they ever wanted to be aimed at them.

Maggie stiffened and her breath caught. Her eyes went wide. The blood drained from her face as she whimpered.

Lucy reached out as Maggie collapsed and hoped her selfishness didn’t just cost Maggie her life.


	10. Chapter 10

__ This could never start.  
__ We could fall apart  
__ And I'd be your memory.  
__ Lost your sense of fear.  
_ Feelings insincere.  
_ __ Can I be your memory?

 

Alex grabbed the gun strapped under the coffee table when she heard someone running down the hall. In the haste to get Maggie to the couch, the door had been left wide open. When she saw Maggie’s second in command, Alex put the gun away. He looked far too worried to be a threat.

Charlie Thorn absently shut the door when he saw Maggie unconscious. “Fuck, Kira’s gonna kill me.” He kneeled with them at the side of the couch. “Then Erik will ask my team to resurrect me so _he_  can kill me.”

“No one’s killing anyone,” Lucy said. “How did you know she was here?”

“Because within an hour of hearing you two learned our secret, she went home for the day.” He shook his head. “There is no way she would’ve gone home. Reds either confront the problem or find a distraction they deem important enough to ignore the problem.” He shrugged. “And we all have a GPS tracker somewhere on us.”

Alex frowned. “You don’t know where?”

“Well, we know where one of them is. The second location is kept a secret, so we don’t do something like THIS alone.”

Which, given the current situation, was fair.

Thorn rubbed his hands together. “So, I’m from the Briarwood team.” He held his hands over Maggie. “We’re the magic users. I’m going to make sure she’s okay.”

Alex moved her hand off Maggie’s shoulder and wondered when she had put it there. Thorn closed his eyes and whispered something about a Magic Mother before his hands started to glow yellow. The light was soft and warm, and something about it made Alex’s racing heart slow down just a little.

Lines of red light etched over Maggie in a pattern that made no sense until they were all connected. Diamonds over her arms and legs, a clawed crest over her chest, and jagged lines framing her eyes. Alex realized what she was seeing; Maggie’s Ranger uniform. 

“That’s a good sign, right?” Lucy asked.

Thorn cracked an eye open and grinned. “The best sign.” Slowly, the light show faded away. He sat back on his heels, hands in his lap. “Well, she’s here, and stronger than she was before, so I have a feeling this worked.”

“You don’t know for sure?” Alex asked, worried again.

“She’s not in pain, and her powers are surging, so that means her connection to the Morphin’ Grid is strong.” He looked at the door a moment before someone knocked. “That would be the medical team.”

Lucy got up and opened the door. The four Guardians were in civilian clothes, but it was apparent they were ready to help. She let them in, and it only took them a few minutes to confirm what Thorn had told them. Still, they wanted Maggie to be monitored overnight, just in case.

“Can we go with you?” Alex asked Thorn quietly as the med team assembled a portable litter.

Thorn looked between them. “You’ll need an escort while on base.” He offered his arms. “Ladies?”

Lucy and Alex rolled their eyes but linked arms with his and followed the medical team and Maggie out of the apartment. Even if Maggie didn’t remember them, as long as it didn’t hurt her, Alex saw no reason they couldn’t rebuild a relationship.

* * *

Alex was going to have to give in and ask where the Silver Guardians bought their furniture. Waiting next to a bed in medical for the past three days had been way more comfortable than she’d expected. She didn’t know if J’onn would approve big comfy recliners that could fit two people, but Lucy was also a Director who could authorize such a purchase. If the way Lucy was dozing against her was anything to go by, Alex didn’t think she would need much convincing.

“I come with dinner and better news,” Taylor announced as she entered the room, not bothering to keep her voice calm or quiet. “And it’s not from the mess hall, Lane.”

Lane sat up and made grabby hands for the bag in Taylor’s hands. “This is why I let you on my base to begin with.”

Taylor snorted and handed over two of the three bags. “Yeah, and I let you onto one of my bases, so now we’re even.”

Lucy shook her head as she bit into a large fry. “This one’s Maggie’s.”

“Fine, lawyer.” She said the title like a curse, which it sometimes was when Lucy was concerned.

“What’s the news?” Alex asked before biting into the sandwich.

“General Lane is in Terra Venture custody for the foreseeable future.” Taylor’s grin was dangerous as she sipped from a straw. “The Silver Guardians set up shop in Summer Cove last week after the arrival of the new Ninja Steel team. The General decided he was going to take command of the Guardians in the city due to the threat to civilian lives.”

Alex couldn’t help her smile. “He doesn’t know of the connection between the Silver Guardians and Terra Venture.”

“He seems to like learning things the hard way.” Taylor shrugged. “He’ll stay with us until we can find a solution to his meddling.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “And if finding that solution isn’t a priority, oh well?”

“Terra Venture reports to the Secretary of Defense and the President. No one else. If anyone starts to inquire about him, they’ll be told he’s unreachable at the time.” Taylor poked Maggie in the knee. “Wake up already, Charlie’s plotting a take over of your base.”

“Do you really think this worked?” Alex asked, “It’s been days.”

“If you asked me that back when I first became a Ranger, I would’ve had doubts.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve seen so much between then and now that I have a disgusting amount of faith in the Morphin’ Grid.”

That made a certain amount of sense. And, well, being a Power Ranger had brought Maggie this far. Alex figured that just this once, she could trust the power that saved the world.

* * *

Maggie woke up and frowned at the too clean smell of medical. She didn’t remember any missions-

Alex. Lucy.

Maggie shoved herself up, wide awake and almost frantic. She remembered. She remembered Alex and Lucy, her girlfriends, her fiances-

“Maggie?” Alex was staring at her, somewhat worried, mostly trying to hide the hope in her eyes. 

It wasn’t a rush of memories. There was no defining moment. It was just… She held open her arms and felt the tears on her cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Lucy and Alex wrapped around her. They didn’t hesitate, and Maggie could feel their own tears on her neck and shoulders. 

“I remember breakfast,” Maggie said quietly, trying not to let the emotions break her voice. “I remember the double good luck kiss before you left for Metropolis with Kara. But after that… I’ve been so _lonely_ …”

“Never again,” Lucy promised. “I’m so, so sorry, Maggie. I didn’t stop him… I didn’t see a way out…”

Maggie squeezed Lucy tighter. “No, Lucy, no, I’m not gonna blame you. I’m not gonna be mad. This isn’t on you. This is… This will just make us stronger.” There was no way for Maggie to even suggest some of the blame lay with Lucy when Lucy didn’t know just how much Maggie could handle. “We know, now. We’re prepared.”

Alex pressed a kiss to Maggie’s temple. “Do you remember everything?”

Maggie took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. I remember our first kiss, I remember our first date with all three of us together. I remember our first fight and when we first said, “I love you.” I guess we’ll figure out with time if it’s everything, or only the moments the Grid could pull from the two of you.”

“You’re really gonna have to explain that to me later,” Alex said. “But, for now, can we just go home?”

Something warm and satisfied settled in Maggie’s chest. Home. Not her apartment. The home she shared with the two of them. 

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We enjoyed writing this, and you comments helped motivate us to keep writing. We changed the plot like four times to get where we did with the fic, instead of drawing it out another dozen chapters or so. -Jesi_Ki_Kage
> 
> A huge thanks to everyone who read this fic! We really loved writing it, and we loved all the reactions we got from it. Thank you for reading, and see you on the next fic! -jaguarspot
> 
> ...I promise the next thing I post will be the Green Ranger Maggie season 3 rewrite? -Don'tBeJelly
> 
> (Don't believe her xP - Jesi_Ki_Kage)


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